The Secret to Weight Loss: Calories!
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The Secret to Weight Loss? Calories.
What you need to know about counting them, cutting them—and why you should stop obsessing about carbs and fat.
by Suzanne Schlosberg
The truth is, all diets boil down to a simple formula-eating fewer Calories than you burn. Break that rule and all the carb-cutting, fat-banning, low-glycemic-index-eating in the world won't make a bit of difference. This is why weight-loss experts are now advocating a back to-the-basics approach: Calorie counting.
Weren't paying attention in high school biology? No worries. This crash course on the science of Calories will catch you up fast. You'll learn to make smarter choices about the foods (and portion sizes) you put on your plate and how to maximize your daily Calorie budget. The savvier you are, the quicker you'll drop pounds.
Q: Exactly what is a Calorie anyway?
A: In science equations, a calorie is a measure of potential energy in food. Technically, one calorie is the amount of energy it takes to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. The Calorie we refer to generally in nutrition, which is found on food labels, is the kcal, or kilocalorie (which equals 1,000 calories). "Calories are like gasoline. In the same way that gas makes your car go, calories fuel your body," says D. Milton Stokes, R.D., president of a nutrition counseling firm in Norwalk, Connecticut.
Q: How does my body convert Calories?
A: Enzymes in your digestive system break down the chemical bonds that hold food molecules together, explains Gary Miller, Ph.D., an associate professor of nutrition at Wake Forest University. Your digestive system then releases the energy contained in those bonds, making it available for use.
Q: What does my body do with that energy?
A: It fuels everything from basic activities like breathing, thinking, and growing hair to bigger tasks, like carrying a pregnancy or running a marathon. However, when you don't use the Calories you've consumed (maybe you decide to skip the gym today), those Calories get shuttled to your liver to refill your glycogen stores. Glycogen is your body's quick, easy-access energy reserve. Your ability to store it means you don't have to eat continuously to keep your body revved up. Still, it gets depleted every three to four hours. When the liver is holding as much glycogen as it can, some of it is passed on to muscles for short-term storage (to be used as needed to move your body and get you through a workout).
Between your liver and muscles, you have a ready supply of Calories (roughly 300 to 400, depending on your weight and metabolism) that you can access as necessary throughout the day. When you eat more than you can save in these temporary "accounts," the Calories get converted to fat and distributed throughout your body.
Q: How many Calories do you have to burn to lose a pound?
A: About 3,500. That means you can eat 100 fewer Calories a day for 35 days, or 500 fewer calories for seven days, or walk an hour a day for 22 days, or do a combination of the two by eating less and moving more. Remember, even if you're exercising more than usual, the Calories-in, Calories-out rule still applies: If you take in more than you burn, you'll gain weight.
Q: How do scientists determine the number of Calories in a food?
A: Typically, they use different laboratory methods to separate the caloric components of food-the macronutrients protein, fat, and carbs from the noncaloric substances like water and minerals. They figure out the weight of each macronutrient in grams and then multiply by the following to get the Calorie count: fat, 9 Calories per gram; protein and carbs, 4 Calories per gram.
Q: Can I have a food analyzed to see if the Calorie count listed on the label is correct?
A: Yes, but it's expensive- about $90 an item. Contact Bodycote FPL at fplabs.com for more information.
Q: How do scientists figure out how many Calories a person burns during exercise?
A: They place a plastic tube over the exerciser's mouth and measure the amount of oxygen she inhales and uses while engaging in a specific activity (e.g., walking, rowing, biking). Every liter of oxygen consumed is equivalent to 4.8 Calories burned. As your fitness level increases, you're able to take in and use more oxygen, which lets you work out harder, longer, and burn more Calories (and fat).
Q: How much do I really need to eat every day to maintain my weight?
A: It's a complex formula that depends on your weight and height (the heavier you are, the more Calories you'll burn), age (the older you are, the fewer you need), and activity level (computer solitaire fans utilize far less than marathoners). For example, a 25-year-old woman who is 5'9", 150 pounds, and very active (i.e., exercising six days a week) requires roughly 2,570 Calories a day to maintain her weight, while a 40-year-old woman who is 5'4", 130 pounds, and only moderately active (working out three days a week) needs 640 fewer Calories (1,930). For an estimate of your Calorie needs, go to caloriesperhour.com/index_burn3.html.
Q: Can I bank Calories so I can eat more on a special occasion?
A: In theory, yes. If you know you're going to a party on Saturday night and want the freedom to indulge a little, you can shave, say, 100 Calories from what you normally eat Sunday through Friday and have an extra 600 Calories to play with by the time the party rolls around. At the end of the week, your Calorie intake-and your weight-stays the same. In practice, though, this strategy may backfire. It's tricky to cut enough calories to matter, but not so many that you go hungry or affect your metabolism. "Really, what you're trying to do is lose a little weight so you can gain it back," says Michael B. Zemel, M.D., professor of nutrition and medicine at the University of Tennessee.
"But when you deprive yourself, you typically compensate by eating way too much later- and take in more Calories than you banked."
Instead of saving up Calories, on days when you know you may want a little more diet wiggle room, eat foods that are low-calorie but filling. For instance, if you usually have a turkey sandwich for lunch, try a salad with sliced turkey. You'll take in fewer Calories by skipping the bread but feel just as satisfied because of the fiber in the greens and other veggies. Then you won't arrive at your event famished, and you can afford to have a little of your splurge food. An even smarter option: "Work out a little more before and after the party," says Zemel. "Every extra mile you walk burns 100 Calories."
What you need to know about counting them, cutting them—and why you should stop obsessing about carbs and fat.
by Suzanne Schlosberg
The truth is, all diets boil down to a simple formula-eating fewer Calories than you burn. Break that rule and all the carb-cutting, fat-banning, low-glycemic-index-eating in the world won't make a bit of difference. This is why weight-loss experts are now advocating a back to-the-basics approach: Calorie counting.
Weren't paying attention in high school biology? No worries. This crash course on the science of Calories will catch you up fast. You'll learn to make smarter choices about the foods (and portion sizes) you put on your plate and how to maximize your daily Calorie budget. The savvier you are, the quicker you'll drop pounds.
Q: Exactly what is a Calorie anyway?
A: In science equations, a calorie is a measure of potential energy in food. Technically, one calorie is the amount of energy it takes to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. The Calorie we refer to generally in nutrition, which is found on food labels, is the kcal, or kilocalorie (which equals 1,000 calories). "Calories are like gasoline. In the same way that gas makes your car go, calories fuel your body," says D. Milton Stokes, R.D., president of a nutrition counseling firm in Norwalk, Connecticut.
Q: How does my body convert Calories?
A: Enzymes in your digestive system break down the chemical bonds that hold food molecules together, explains Gary Miller, Ph.D., an associate professor of nutrition at Wake Forest University. Your digestive system then releases the energy contained in those bonds, making it available for use.
Q: What does my body do with that energy?
A: It fuels everything from basic activities like breathing, thinking, and growing hair to bigger tasks, like carrying a pregnancy or running a marathon. However, when you don't use the Calories you've consumed (maybe you decide to skip the gym today), those Calories get shuttled to your liver to refill your glycogen stores. Glycogen is your body's quick, easy-access energy reserve. Your ability to store it means you don't have to eat continuously to keep your body revved up. Still, it gets depleted every three to four hours. When the liver is holding as much glycogen as it can, some of it is passed on to muscles for short-term storage (to be used as needed to move your body and get you through a workout).
Between your liver and muscles, you have a ready supply of Calories (roughly 300 to 400, depending on your weight and metabolism) that you can access as necessary throughout the day. When you eat more than you can save in these temporary "accounts," the Calories get converted to fat and distributed throughout your body.
Q: How many Calories do you have to burn to lose a pound?
A: About 3,500. That means you can eat 100 fewer Calories a day for 35 days, or 500 fewer calories for seven days, or walk an hour a day for 22 days, or do a combination of the two by eating less and moving more. Remember, even if you're exercising more than usual, the Calories-in, Calories-out rule still applies: If you take in more than you burn, you'll gain weight.
Q: How do scientists determine the number of Calories in a food?
A: Typically, they use different laboratory methods to separate the caloric components of food-the macronutrients protein, fat, and carbs from the noncaloric substances like water and minerals. They figure out the weight of each macronutrient in grams and then multiply by the following to get the Calorie count: fat, 9 Calories per gram; protein and carbs, 4 Calories per gram.
Q: Can I have a food analyzed to see if the Calorie count listed on the label is correct?
A: Yes, but it's expensive- about $90 an item. Contact Bodycote FPL at fplabs.com for more information.
Q: How do scientists figure out how many Calories a person burns during exercise?
A: They place a plastic tube over the exerciser's mouth and measure the amount of oxygen she inhales and uses while engaging in a specific activity (e.g., walking, rowing, biking). Every liter of oxygen consumed is equivalent to 4.8 Calories burned. As your fitness level increases, you're able to take in and use more oxygen, which lets you work out harder, longer, and burn more Calories (and fat).
Q: How much do I really need to eat every day to maintain my weight?
A: It's a complex formula that depends on your weight and height (the heavier you are, the more Calories you'll burn), age (the older you are, the fewer you need), and activity level (computer solitaire fans utilize far less than marathoners). For example, a 25-year-old woman who is 5'9", 150 pounds, and very active (i.e., exercising six days a week) requires roughly 2,570 Calories a day to maintain her weight, while a 40-year-old woman who is 5'4", 130 pounds, and only moderately active (working out three days a week) needs 640 fewer Calories (1,930). For an estimate of your Calorie needs, go to caloriesperhour.com/index_burn3.html.
Q: Can I bank Calories so I can eat more on a special occasion?
A: In theory, yes. If you know you're going to a party on Saturday night and want the freedom to indulge a little, you can shave, say, 100 Calories from what you normally eat Sunday through Friday and have an extra 600 Calories to play with by the time the party rolls around. At the end of the week, your Calorie intake-and your weight-stays the same. In practice, though, this strategy may backfire. It's tricky to cut enough calories to matter, but not so many that you go hungry or affect your metabolism. "Really, what you're trying to do is lose a little weight so you can gain it back," says Michael B. Zemel, M.D., professor of nutrition and medicine at the University of Tennessee.
"But when you deprive yourself, you typically compensate by eating way too much later- and take in more Calories than you banked."
Instead of saving up Calories, on days when you know you may want a little more diet wiggle room, eat foods that are low-calorie but filling. For instance, if you usually have a turkey sandwich for lunch, try a salad with sliced turkey. You'll take in fewer Calories by skipping the bread but feel just as satisfied because of the fiber in the greens and other veggies. Then you won't arrive at your event famished, and you can afford to have a little of your splurge food. An even smarter option: "Work out a little more before and after the party," says Zemel. "Every extra mile you walk burns 100 Calories."
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Replies
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The Secret to Weight Loss? Calories.
What you need to know about counting them, cutting them—and why you should stop obsessing about carbs and fat.
by Suzanne Schlosberg
The truth is, all diets boil down to a simple formula-eating fewer Calories than you burn. Break that rule and all the carb-cutting, fat-banning, low-glycemic-index-eating in the world won't make a bit of difference. This is why weight-loss experts are now advocating a back to-the-basics approach: Calorie counting.
Weren't paying attention in high school biology? No worries. This crash course on the science of Calories will catch you up fast. You'll learn to make smarter choices about the foods (and portion sizes) you put on your plate and how to maximize your daily Calorie budget. The savvier you are, the quicker you'll drop pounds.
Q: Exactly what is a Calorie anyway?
A: In science equations, a calorie is a measure of potential energy in food. Technically, one calorie is the amount of energy it takes to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. The Calorie we refer to generally in nutrition, which is found on food labels, is the kcal, or kilocalorie (which equals 1,000 calories). "Calories are like gasoline. In the same way that gas makes your car go, calories fuel your body," says D. Milton Stokes, R.D., president of a nutrition counseling firm in Norwalk, Connecticut.
Q: How does my body convert Calories?
A: Enzymes in your digestive system break down the chemical bonds that hold food molecules together, explains Gary Miller, Ph.D., an associate professor of nutrition at Wake Forest University. Your digestive system then releases the energy contained in those bonds, making it available for use.
Q: What does my body do with that energy?
A: It fuels everything from basic activities like breathing, thinking, and growing hair to bigger tasks, like carrying a pregnancy or running a marathon. However, when you don't use the Calories you've consumed (maybe you decide to skip the gym today), those Calories get shuttled to your liver to refill your glycogen stores. Glycogen is your body's quick, easy-access energy reserve. Your ability to store it means you don't have to eat continuously to keep your body revved up. Still, it gets depleted every three to four hours. When the liver is holding as much glycogen as it can, some of it is passed on to muscles for short-term storage (to be used as needed to move your body and get you through a workout).
Between your liver and muscles, you have a ready supply of Calories (roughly 300 to 400, depending on your weight and metabolism) that you can access as necessary throughout the day. When you eat more than you can save in these temporary "accounts," the Calories get converted to fat and distributed throughout your body.
Q: How many Calories do you have to burn to lose a pound?
A: About 3,500. That means you can eat 100 fewer Calories a day for 35 days, or 500 fewer calories for seven days, or walk an hour a day for 22 days, or do a combination of the two by eating less and moving more. Remember, even if you're exercising more than usual, the Calories-in, Calories-out rule still applies: If you take in more than you burn, you'll gain weight.
Q: How do scientists determine the number of Calories in a food?
A: Typically, they use different laboratory methods to separate the caloric components of food-the macronutrients protein, fat, and carbs from the noncaloric substances like water and minerals. They figure out the weight of each macronutrient in grams and then multiply by the following to get the Calorie count: fat, 9 Calories per gram; protein and carbs, 4 Calories per gram.
Q: Can I have a food analyzed to see if the Calorie count listed on the label is correct?
A: Yes, but it's expensive- about $90 an item. Contact Bodycote FPL at fplabs.com for more information.
Q: How do scientists figure out how many Calories a person burns during exercise?
A: They place a plastic tube over the exerciser's mouth and measure the amount of oxygen she inhales and uses while engaging in a specific activity (e.g., walking, rowing, biking). Every liter of oxygen consumed is equivalent to 4.8 Calories burned. As your fitness level increases, you're able to take in and use more oxygen, which lets you work out harder, longer, and burn more Calories (and fat).
Q: How much do I really need to eat every day to maintain my weight?
A: It's a complex formula that depends on your weight and height (the heavier you are, the more Calories you'll burn), age (the older you are, the fewer you need), and activity level (computer solitaire fans utilize far less than marathoners). For example, a 25-year-old woman who is 5'9", 150 pounds, and very active (i.e., exercising six days a week) requires roughly 2,570 Calories a day to maintain her weight, while a 40-year-old woman who is 5'4", 130 pounds, and only moderately active (working out three days a week) needs 640 fewer Calories (1,930). For an estimate of your Calorie needs, go to caloriesperhour.com/index_burn3.html.
Q: Can I bank Calories so I can eat more on a special occasion?
A: In theory, yes. If you know you're going to a party on Saturday night and want the freedom to indulge a little, you can shave, say, 100 Calories from what you normally eat Sunday through Friday and have an extra 600 Calories to play with by the time the party rolls around. At the end of the week, your Calorie intake-and your weight-stays the same. In practice, though, this strategy may backfire. It's tricky to cut enough calories to matter, but not so many that you go hungry or affect your metabolism. "Really, what you're trying to do is lose a little weight so you can gain it back," says Michael B. Zemel, M.D., professor of nutrition and medicine at the University of Tennessee.
"But when you deprive yourself, you typically compensate by eating way too much later- and take in more Calories than you banked."
Instead of saving up Calories, on days when you know you may want a little more diet wiggle room, eat foods that are low-calorie but filling. For instance, if you usually have a turkey sandwich for lunch, try a salad with sliced turkey. You'll take in fewer Calories by skipping the bread but feel just as satisfied because of the fiber in the greens and other veggies. Then you won't arrive at your event famished, and you can afford to have a little of your splurge food. An even smarter option: "Work out a little more before and after the party," says Zemel. "Every extra mile you walk burns 100 Calories."0 -
This is good to share. I'm a biology major so already knew most of this, but it's really good for EVERYONE to read and understand. May make the calorie-counting process seem more reliable! Thanks for posting!!!:bigsmile:0
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This sounds very helpful. I stay at a loss on the whole calorie thing. I am hoping that this site will help.0
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Thanks for this article. It's been quite awhile since I've taken biology so this reminder is useful.0
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Excellent post Tiramisu!
READ PEOPLE... READ!0 -
Thanks for the info
Mary 0 -
Your welcome guys! I really hope people stop obsessing over specific foods and just focus on eating LESS of the bad stuff and fuel your body with MORE of the good stuff. Yes, you should eat the good carbs when you can and watch sodium and eat the healthy fats and there are some that HAVE to do that for medical reasons....but for the most part, eat things in moderation, figure out how many calories YOU specifically need to lose weight and do it. Weight loss is a tricky thing and there can be a lot of trial and error to figure out what will work for YOU.0
This discussion has been closed.
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